Linda Allen papers, 1978-2018

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Allen, Linda, 1945-
Title
Linda Allen papers
Dates
1978-2018 (inclusive)
Quantity
10 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0354
Summary
This collection documents the music-related projects and activities of long-term Washington State resident and singer/songwriter Linda Allen.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public for research. Advance notice and an appointment may be required for access to audio or audio-visual recordings. A commercial use/publication restriction is in effect.

Languages
English, English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Linda Allen has worked as a professional songwriter, folk musician, song collector and oral historian for many decades in Washington State. She has compiled four song book collections, produced ten original albums and presented workshops in schools throughout Washington as well as in California, Minnesota, Australia and Alaska. Born in Seattle in 1945, Allen graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a degree in Education and began her singing career in the San Francisco area in 1969. After performing in coffee houses, theaters, festivals and for two USO tours of the Far East, she returned to Washington State around 1973. She founded two folk centers, the "Sunny Side" in Chehalis and "Applejam" in Olympia, before moving to Bellingham in 1976.

In 1979 Allen compiled and edited the Rainy Day Song Book, a collection of 30 Northwest songs. In 1980 she toured the state for the Washington Women's Heritage Project as well as for Washington State's celebration of women's suffrage. She coordinated the compilation and editing of the Washington State Centennial Commission's Washington Songs and Lore songbook, which was published in 1989. That same year she was named Washington State's resident songwriter: subsequent projects took her around Washington, researching the role of music in Grange culture, leading songwriting workshops and promoting the Centennial. She worked for the Cultural Enrichment Program for the Washington State Arts Commission, the Artist-in-Community Program in Bellingham and, in 1991, was awarded an Artist Trust Fellowship in recognition of her work as a composer.

In 2005, Linda Allen received a Doctor of Ministry degree and was ordained as an Interfaith Minister in 2006. She subsequently founded two choirs in Bellingham, Threshold Choir and Women with Wings. Allen has been a leading figure in the celebration of the centennial of women's suffrage in Washington State, developing and offering musical programs relevant to the theme of women's history and the struggle for the vote. In 2010, she was inducted into the Northwest Women's Hall of Fame. Through her long and active career as a singer/songwriter/performer, Linda Allen has brought awareness of Washington State's rich musical heritage to countless citizens, both young and old, and encouraged them to find their own voice through songwriting.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection documents the music and song-related projects and activities of Washington State singer/songwriter Linda Allen. Records are dated from 1978-2018, and include correspondence files, planning and project notes, research and reference materials, financial and contractual information and publicity materials.

Project files include rich documentation relating to the Rainy Day Song Book (1979), which Allen compiled and published, as well as the state-wide Washington Women's Heritage Project (1980-1982). Allen compiled and edited the Washington Songs and Lore song book (1985-1989), sponsored by the Washington State Centennial Commission; this project generated extensive research and correspondence files, among others. She then implemented the Washington Resident Songwriter Project (1988-1992), sponsored by Victory Music and the Washington Centennial Commission. Related files reflect this multifaceted project, in which she gave performances and "Songsharing" workshops throughout the state, wrote nineteen original songs and produced the compact disc "Washington Notebook" as well as an accompanying Curriculum Guide (1992). Allen directed the Washington Grange Music Heritage Project, funded by the Washington State Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and with assistance from the Washington State Rural Development Council (1993-1995). Related files reflect her varied activities, including visiting Grange Halls throughout the state, undertaking oral history field work and producing the radio show "By the light of the moon: Grange Hall dances in Washington State." A related project, Washington Grange Heritage Project (1995), was not funded. The collection includes a small amount of material documenting Linda Allen's significant work developing and leading educational music programs celebrating the centennial of women's suffrage in Washington State.

Performance files (1986-2011) include correspondence and notes, resource materials, and information on several of Allen's performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival and also her school programs.

Extensive research files focus on Washington state composers, performers and songs about Washington. Songs are organized as chiefly text with related correspondence or as scores, organized by song title, with related correspondence.

Published audio recordings comprise compact discs produced between 1984 and 2018.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Users must receive written permission from the donor or individual authorized by the donor before quotation or duplication of the papers for commercial purposes. This restriction will expire upon Linda Allen's death.

Preferred Citation

Linda Allen papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Linda Allen Papers are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I. Project Files
  • Series II. Performance Files
  • Series III. Research Materials
  • Series IV. Published Audio Recordings

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Leslie Hall in 2018.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Acquisition Information

Donated to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies by Linda Allen in multiple installments between 2016 and 2018.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  Project Files, approximately 1903-2014,   (bulk approximately 1984-2014) Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Subseries 1: Rainy Day Song Book
 1978-1988
Box/Folder
1/1
Rainy Day Songbook recording rights
 1978-1988
1/2
Rainy Day Song Book correspondence
 1978-1988 and undated, bulk 1978-1979
1/3
The Rainy Day Song Book: Traditional and Contemporary Songs of the Northwest collected and edited by Linda Allen. Whatcom Museum of History Art
Includes dummy cover.
1978
1/4
Rainy Day Song Book audio cassette tape
 1980
Subseries 2: Washington Women’s Heritage Project
 1980-1982
Box/Folder
1/5
Women's Traditional Music Project grant application and related materials
 1980
1/6
Project notes and planning
 1980-1982
1/7
Project newsletters, announcements, related event publicity and newspaper articles
 1980-1982
Subseries 3: Washington Songs and Lore
 1979-1991
Box/Folder
2/1
Mailing list of song contributors
 1986
2/2
Washington Songs and Lore reviews, articles
 1987-1989
2/3
Washington Songs and Lore promotion
 1988
2/4
Correspondence chiefly with Centennial Commission members
 1985-1991
2/5
Contracts and related correspondence between the Centennial Commission and Linda Allen
 1985-1986
2/6
Reports from Linda Allen to Putnam Barber
 1986-1987
2/7
Songbook Committee minutes
 1986-1989
2/8
Songbook Committee correspondence
 1985-1987
2/9
Songbook committee blank song evaluation forms and song lists for 8 tapes
 1986
2/10
Song evaluations for tapes 9,11,6
 1986
2/11
Song evaluations for tapes 2,3,8,10
 1986
2/12
Song evaluations for tapes 1,4,3B,5,7
 1986
2/13
Song evaluations for tapes 8,10
 1986
3/1
Publishing the songbook
Includes RFP from the State Songbook Committee to potential publishers and Linda Allen's response, research, notes and related correspondence regarding possible publishers.
1985-1987
3/2
Melior Publications related papers and correspondence
Also contains various sections of the to be published songbook, including annotations by Linda Allen.
1987-1989
3/3
Copyright information regarding songs in the songbook
 1987-1988
3/4
Centennial promotion
 1985-1989
3/5
Jens Lund (Washington State Folklife Council) and Linda Allen correspondence
Contains pamphlets and some research materials on folk songs in the Northwest and the US.
1983-1987
4/1
Correspondence, 1979-1982, 1985, 1986 February-June
 1979-1982; 1986 February-June
4/2
Correspondence
 1986 July-December
4/3
Correspondence
 1986 undated, 1987
4/4
Correspondence
 1988-1989
5/1
Dana Lyons correspondence and newspaper articles
 1985-1987
5/2
Pete Seeger correspondence and article regarding the use of the word "hootenanny"
 1963-1987
5/3
Stan Boreson correspondence
 1986
5/4
Mary Garvey correspondence
Includes song texts.
approximately 1980-1991
5/5
Helen Davis correspondence, newspaper articles and music
 1986-1988
5/6
"Songbook" for Songbook Committee use only
 1986
5/7
Washington Songs and Lore compiled by Linda Allen. Sponsored by the 1989 Washington Centennial Commission, copyright 1988
 1988
5/8
Washington Songs and Lore abridged edition compiled by Linda Allen. Sponsored by the 1989 Washington Centennial Commission, copyright 1988
 1988
Box
6
Centennial Collection A (37 audio cassettes submitted for consideration)
 undated
6
Centennial Collection B (35 audio cassettes submitted for consideration) undated
 undated
6
Washington Songs and Lore dummy, with text revision notes
 1988
Subseries 4: Washington Resident Songwriter Project
Files documenting songsharing workshops and concerts; includes related Washington Notebook compact disc and Curriculum Guide).
1987-1992
Box/Folder
7/1
Washington Resident Songwriter Project applications
Also includes project co-sponsor financial guarantees from 2 local Bellingham businesses.
1987-1988
7/2
Washington Resident Songwriter Project contract and final project proposal
 1988
7/3
Washington Resident Songwriter Project potential funding sources
 1988-1989
7/4
Washington Resident Songwriter Project progress reports
Also includes revenue and expense summary 1989.
1988-1989
7/5
Washington Resident Songwriter Project correspondence
 1988-1989
7/6
Washington Resident Songwriter Project final report
Also includes revenue/expense summary, letter from Jean Gardner and project poster.
1989
7/7
Centennial Commission Songsharing Workshops and Concerts tape
Tape length listed as 67 seconds.
1989
7/8
Centennial Songsharing Workshops and Concerts schedules, promotional material and newspaper articles
 1989
7/9
Centennial Songsharing Workshop cassettes
10 cassettes.
1989
8/1
Washington Notebook financial information
 1990-1992
8/2
Washington Notebook fundraising efforts
 1990-1991
8/3
Washington Notebook Victory Music correspondence
 1990-1992
8/4
Washington Notebook recording information
Includes budget, musicians names, songs and tentative arrangements.
1991-1992
8/5
Washington Notebook promotional material, 1991
 1991
8/6
Washington Notebook's accompanying Curriculum Guide
Includes correspondence, budget and various copies.
1992
Subseries 5: Washington Grange Music Heritage Project
The "By the light of the moon" radio documentary was based on interviews and recordings of Grange members and musicians 1993-1994); Washington Grange Heritage Project (proposed "The Grange, a way of life" CD, expanded radio series and traveling exhibit 1994).
1874-1995; 1992-1995
Box/Folder
9/1
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project proposal
 1993
9/2
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project correspondence
 1993-1995
9/3
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project correspondence with Willy Smythe
 1993-1995
9/4
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project financial information
Includes travel and expense reports, telephone logs, invoices, and receipt.
1993-1994
9/5
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project participant questionnaires and permission slips
 1993-1994
9/6
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project interview transcripts and contact list
 1993
9/7
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project interview transcripts from Skagit Valley area Grange musicians
 1986-1987
10/1
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project reference materials regarding radio show production
 1993-1994
10/2
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project radio scripts for "By the Light of the Moon: Grange Hall Dances in Washington State"
 approximately 1994
10/3
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project promotional materials and newspaper articles
 undated
10/4
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project VHS tape, copy 2
 1993
10/5
Washington Grange Heritage Project letters of support, 1994
 1994
10/6
Washington Grange Heritage Project proposals, correspondence, budget, and miscellaneous materials, 1994-1995
 1994-1995
10/7
Washington Grange Heritage Project grant guidelines
 1994
11/1
Grange songs and related materials
 undated
11/2
Grange newspapers and newspaper articles, Washington State
 1992-1994
11/3
Grange research materials
 undated
12/1
Grange official publications
Washington State and National Grange publications.
1992-1994
12/2
Grange songbooks: "Songs for the Grange", 1874 [photocopy]; "The Patron" copyright 1933 and "The Grange Songbook" copyright 1983
 1874, 1933, 1983
12/3
Grange related photos
Includes single photos, contact sheets and negatives.
undated
Box
13
Washington Grange Music Heritage Project 39 audio-cassette tapes
 undated
Subseries 6: Washington State - Women's Suffrage Centennial Celebrations
 approximately 2008-2011
Box/Folder
13A/1
Susan B. Anthony Doll
 undated
13A/2
Here's To The Women - Presentation Poster and Lyrics
 2010
13A/3
2010 Celebration
 2010
13A/4
Here's To The Women (programs and CD)
 2010-2011
13A/5
On Tour
 2010
13A/6
Here's To The Women Presentation Powerpoint (print-off)
 approximately 2010
13A/7
Recipe For Justice: A Musical Readers Theater (promotional materials and
approximately 2008-2010
13A/8
Inez Mullholland - Program and documentary film
 2010
Box
13A
AAUW-Washington: Suffrage Centennial Tea event poster
 2010-11

Series II:  Performance Files, 1987-2011Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
14/1
Correspondence and notes
 1986-1993 and undated
14/2
Correspondence and resource materials on women's organizations
 1988-1993
14/3
Performance related notes and resources
 1991-1993
14/4
Gig sheets, travel assistance award contract, blank contract forms
 1991-1993
14/5
Brochures, newsletters, catalogs
 1987-1991
14/6
Posters, advertisements, photos of Linda Allen and her performances
 1990-1992
14/7
Northeast tour planning
 1989
15/1
Northwest Folklife Festival
Includes program and newspaper article about Linda Allen.
1992
15/2
Grange Stage Program at the Northwest Folklife Festival
Includes correspondence, itinerary, programs, related materials and the May 1994 Grange News.
1994
15/3
Grange Stage Program at the Northwest Folklife Festival
Includes correspondence, related programs and materials.
1995
15/4
School contacts, chiefly K-12 and blank contract forms
 approximately 1991-1992
15/5
School enrichment program directories listing Linda Allen and various grant applications
 1982-2000
15/6
Linda Allen's school programs
Includes publicity, programming, testimonials, and a copy of "Washington Songbook" for Allen's use as an artist-in-residence.
1988-2011

Series III:  Research materials, 1852-1992,   (bulk 1980-1992) Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Music, with related correspondence
 1932-1992
Box/Folder
16/1
"Songs of Washington" compiled by Dick McNeely and Pattie Richter
Includes curriculum support for 4th grade Washington state history courses.
1992
16/2
Pat Garvey songbook
 1986
16/3
Pat Gulick "Trails West" piano-vocal score
 1977
16/4
Dorothy Linde song collection
 1976
16/5
Tom Shindler song collection
 undated
16/6
Arlene Ydstie "Washington Revue" piano-vocal score and other songs
 1986
16/7
Ivar Haglund "’Love Affair with Puget Sound" songbook (3 copies) and cassette tape
 1984
16/8
Elmore Vincent "Lumber Jack Songs"
 1932
16/9
Songs located and sent by Jan Roberts
 1986
16/10
Winifred Knox Folksongs from the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound
Incomplete photocopy.
1945
16/11
Mary Carr Moore "Narcissa" - synopsis and excerpts from the opera
 undated
16/12
Tacoma Songs from the Tacoma Public Library
 undated
17/1
Songs about Washington State, by title A-B
 undated
17/2
Songs about Washington State, by title C-D
 undated
17/3
Songs about Washington State, by title E-G
 undated
17/4
Songs about Washington State, by title H-I
 undated
17/5
Songs about Washington State, by title J-L
 undated
17/6
Songs about Washington State, by title M-N
 undated
17/7
Songs about Washington State, by title O
 undated
17/8
Songs about Washington State, by title P-R
 undated
18/1
Songs about Washington State, by title S
 undated
18/2
Songs about Washington State, by title T-V
 undated
18/3
Songs about Washington State, by title W
 undated
18/4
Songs about Washington State, by title X-Z
 undated
Textual materials, with related correspondence
 1852-1990
Box/Folder
19/1
Joe Washington interview and notes on songs, magazine and newspaper articles, 1978-1989
 1978-1989
19/2
Woodie Guthrie songs written for the Bonneville Power Administration and related newspaper articles
 1986-1988
19/3
Gary Williams song lyrics
 undated
19/4
Joe Jordan song lyrics and newspaper article
 undated
19/5
Red Kelly correspondence and promotional materials
 1985-1986
19/6
Bill Oliver correspondence and promotional materials
 1988
19/7
The Brothers Four correspondence, promotional materials and newspaper article
 1983-1985
19/8
Stoddard King newspaper articles
 1929-1973
19/9
Charles Bray research materials
 1893-1989
19/10
Ella Higginson miscellaneous materials
 undated
19/11
Warren Camp and Dow Brink miscellaneous materials
 undated
19/12
Tacoma Sunday Ledger newspaper articles
 1914-1948
19/13
Seattle Women's Symphony newspaper articles
 approximately 1948-1955
19/14
Oregon and Washington Territories articles
Includes original pages from the New York Daily Tribune (1852) and The Cultivator and Country Gentlemen (1869) and a photocopied page from Harper's Weekly (1883).
approximately 1852-1883
19/15
"Ballad of the Bold Northwestman" research materials
 undated
19/16
"Louie Louie" miscellaneous materials
 1985-1986
19/17
Miscellaneous research materials
 undated
20/1
Folklore and oral history workshop programs
 1978-1980
20/2
Miscellaneous materials on songs about Washington State
 1985-1987
20/3
Miscellaneous prose and poetry
 undated
20/4
Miscellaneous notes
 undated
20/5
Union and protest song materials
Includes document regarding the Laura Law case.
undated
20/6
First Nations materials
Includes miscellaneous materials and songs.
undated
21/1
Loggers and logging materials
 undated
21/2
Miscellaneous occupations materials
 undated
21/3
Places in Washington State
 undated
21/4
Newspaper articles on Northwest rock and pop musicians and groups
Includes Jimi Hendrix, the Fleetwoods, Wailers, Kingsmen, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Viceroys, Kenny Loggins, Gary Puckett, Jim Page and Judy Collins.
1967-1985
21/5
Newspaper articles on Washington State composers, musicians, orchestras and cultural history
 approximately 1880-1990
21/6
Newspaper articles on Washington State folk, country, street, bluegrass and fiddle musicians
 1956-1987
21/7
Oral history excerpts
From the Skagit County Oral History Project, the Seattle Museum of History and Industry, the Renton Historical Museum and Marymoor Museum.
1985
Box
21A
Card Index - Songs of Washington and the Pacific Northwest (A-Z)
 undated (approximately 1980s)

Series IV:  Published audio recordings, approximately 1984-2018Return to Top

Published CDs.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
22
October Roses
 1984
22
Women’s Work
 1988
22
Washington Notebook: New Songs of the Northwest Sung by Northwest Musicians
 1989/1991
22
Lay It Down: Images of the Sacred
 1996
22
The Long Way Home
 1999
22
Mama Wanted to Be a Rainbow Dancer
 2002
22
Where I Stand
 2005
22
Here’s to The Women
 2010
22
Carry Us Through This Night
 2012
22
Into The Promise of Morning
 2018

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Folk music--Washington (State)--History--Sources
  • Folk songs, English--Washington (State)--History--Sources
  • Music--Washington (State)--History--Sources
  • Songs, English--Washington (State)--History--Sources
  • Women--Suffrage--Washington (State)--History--Sources
  • Women--Washington (State)--History--Sources

Personal Names

  • Allen, Linda, 1945--Archives (creator)

Corporate Names

  • Washington State Grange--Soungs and music

Form or Genre Terms

  • Interviews
  • Personal correspondence
  • Records (Documents)

Finding aid prepared by Leslie Hall for the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
2018

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